Expert explainer: Back-to-school worries for kids

The back-to-school countdown is on, and parents may be looking for ways to support their children through the anxiety and worry September can bring. Colin King is an associate professor with the Faculty of Education at Western and is a registered school and child clinical psychologist. He provides tips for parents to help their kids navigate this transition. What are some of the challenges the back-to-school transition presents for kids? Transitions can be challenging for many children and youth as well as adults and we know they can bring a lot of mixed emotions. Practical challenges, like getting back into routines, can be difficult, in addition to school-specific demands like separating from caregivers and going back into a learning environment. How can parents distinguish between worries and problematic anxieties? I often refer to the four "D's” when I'm thinking about problematic anxiety. Duration - how long has the child been struggling with these feelings? Disproportionate - are these feelings misaligned with what is happening in their context? Distress - how much anguish is the child and family experiencing due to these feelings? And disruption - how much are these feelings getting in the way of their lives - are these anxieties impacting other areas of functioning? If a parent has concerns about their child's anxiety (or emotional functioning more generally) in any of these areas, this can be a clue that additional resources or professional support may be required. When should parents intervene with their children's worries?